Model two rail electric railroad and turnout switch therefor



J. NAGY MODEL TWO RAIL ELECTRIC RAILROAD AND TURNOUT SWITCH THEREFOR Filed NOV. 27, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Jules Nagy June 22, 1965 J. NAGY 3,190,557

MODEL TWO RAIL ELECTRIC RAILROAD AND TURNOUT SWITCH THEREFOR Filed Nov. 27, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

F7616 5 /00 {92 9a 94 2a 24 q 24 5 INVENTOR.

Ju/es Nagy ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,190,557 MODEL 'IWt) RAIL ELE'CTRiC RAILRBAD AND TURNQUT SWITCH THEREFUR Jules Nagy, RD. 2, Old Baptist Road, Coilegeville, Pa. Filed Nov. 2'7, i962, Ber. No. 249,289

8 (Ilairns. (Cl. 238

This invent-ion relates to a model two rail electric railroad and a turnout switch therefor, and has for an object to provide an improved model electric railroad having only two rails, thereby eliminating the customary third rail, and utilizing an electrically conductive conductor roadbed, in place of a third rail, cooperating with an electrically conductive collector shoe depending from the model railroad locomotive, the two rails acting as the other conductor from a source of electricity to the wheels of the railway model locomotive.

A further object of this invention is to provide a two rail model electric railroad particularly intended for use with alternating current although, of course, equally useable with direct current.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide intersecting rail crossing means in a two rail model electric railroad which crossing means includes both a turnout switch and a track crossover wherein an uninterrupted path is continuously provided for the conductive collector shoe of the model electric locomotive so that the conductive collector shoe may continuously contact the conductor roadbed as it passes through an intersecting rail crossing means whether the crossing means he the turnout switch or a track crossover.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a model two rail electric railroad wherein the conductor rails provide one conductor between a source of electricity through the longitudinally spaced apart conductive Wheels to the motor of the model electric locomotive and wherein the roadbed is of conductive material toprovide the other conductor between the source of electricity and the collector shoe to the motor of the model electric locomotive.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a model two rail electric railroad wherein the roadbed is made of conductive material shaped to simulate spaced railroad ties and wherein the conductor rails are physically supported on insulating means which in turn is physically supported on the electrically conductive roadbed.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a mode-l two rail electric railroad having intersecting rail crossing means such as a turnout switch and a track crossover wherein the intersecting rail crossing means still provides a continuous uninterrupted path therethrough for a collector shoe on a locomotive to remain constantly in physical and electrical contact with the conductor bed.

Still a further object of this invent-ion is to provide a model two rail electric railroad wherein the two rails are provided with a jumper therebetween so that both rails act as a single conductor between a source of electricity and the wheels and thus to the motor of a model electric locomotive.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a detailed view of the track switch turnout of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG. 2 but schematically showing :a model electric locomotive in operative position thereon.

FIG. 4 is a plan view on a smaller scale, of a model ICC electric railroad layout incorporating the features of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a detailed View of a crossover track involving this invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view on line 66 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the electrical circuit.

There is shown at 10 the model two rail electric railroad of this invention including turnout switches at 12. and a track crossover at 14. The na-ilroad 10, itself, includes two spaced apart rails 16 connected together by an electric jumper cable 18 so that the metallic electrically conductive rails 16 act as a single conductor from electric cable 20 coming from a source of electricity such as a transformer 22.

The conductive metallic rails 16 are supported over an electrically metallic conductive roadbed 24 consisting of a sheet of metal shaped to represent spaced apart railroad ties 26. Between each rail 16 and each raised tie portion 26, there is interposed a sheet of insulating material 28 of any conventional type such as a phenolic condensation product, sometimes commercially known on the market as Bakelite. A similar sheet of insulation 28 is interposed throughout the entire railroad system between each rail 16 and each railroad bed raised tie portion 26.

The conductive roadbed 24 is connected by a cable 30 to the other side of the transformer 22. A locomotive 32 shown schematically has an electric motor 34 connected at one side as at 36 to a depending conductive collector shoe 38 located substantially equi-distant between the locomotive longitudinally spaced apart conductive wheels 46 which travel on the rails 16. The locomotive whee-ls 40 conduct the electricity from the rails 16 to the other side of the locomotive motor 34, thus completing the circuit for operating the locomotive and pulling an attached train over the model two rail electric railroad 10 of this invention.

The conductive collector shoe 33 travels in a path centrally between both rails 16 and this invention provides an uninterrupted path over the central portion of the electrically conductive conductor roadbed 24 between the rails 16, such uninterrupted path extending through the intersecting rail crossing means, both through the turnout switch as shown at 12 and through the crossover track as shown at 14.

The turnout switch illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 shows a means whereby the locomotive may travel on the main line 42 or may be switched to a branch line 4 In this case, one conductive main line rail 16 forms a continuous straight track. The other conductive rail 16 curves around at 46 to become part of the branch line 44-, the entrance to which, as shown in FIG. 1, is closed by a track 43 of non-conductive material, such as the insulation material mentioned above, Bakelite, this insulating track 48, in the position shown, closing oii the entrance to the branch line 44. It will be noted that this straight insulating track 48 is pivoted at 56 to an enlarged conducting plate 52 of metal electrically connected with the roadbed 24 and, of course, insulated from the conductive rails 16 by a sheet 28 of Bakelite non-conducting material therebetween. An appropriately curved non-conductive or insulating track 54 is paired with the straight nonconductor track 48 and this in turn is pivoted [at 56 to the same enlarged roadbed plate 52, it being obvious that the pivots 50 and 56 are necessarily of the same non-conductive material.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4, the two non-conductor insulating switch tracks 48 and 54 are spaced apart so that at all times there is an uninterrupted path centrally of the rails 16 as well as centrally between the nonconductor tracks 48 and 54 in either of their switched posit-ions. A connecting switch plate 58 is secured be neath raised tie portion 26 at 60 by a suitable rivet screw,

or the like, and the switch plate 58 is similarly secured at 62 to the other non-conductor or insulating track 54. The screws or rivets 60 and 62 extend through suitably positioned arcuate slots 64 and 66 in the raised t-ie portion 26 of the roadbed 24 beneath which it is located.

A second but elongated switch plate 68 extending beneath the enlarged plate 52 is similarly fastened at 70 to the straight non-conductor insulating track 48 on the opposite side of the pivot 50, and the other curved nonconductor track 54 is similarly secured at 72 to the elongated switch plate 63, insulating securing means 70 and 72 extending through appropriately positioned arcuate slots 74 and 76 in the enlarged roadbed plate 52.

At the end of the elongate switch plate 68, there is provided a switch controlling handle 78 extending through a straight slot 80 in the enlarged roadbed plate 52. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the turnout switch 1-2 is set for mainline operation while in FIG. 4 the two turnout switches 12 are set for branch line operation. In each case, it will be noted that an uninterrupted path is provided between the opposite tracks for the conductor shoe 38 to pass therebetween and remain in continuous conductive cont-act with the conductor roadbed 24.

To operate the turnout switch 12, so as to change it from mainline operation 42 to branchline operation 44, the handle 78 will be moved in the direction of the arrow 82. This causes the switch plate 68 to move in the same direction and through the securing screws 70 and 72, it causes the non-conductor track-s 48 and 54 to pivot about their pivots 50 and 56, the fastening screws 70 and 72 following the arcuate path provided by the slots 74 and 76. This causes the other ends of the tracks 48 and 34 to pivot about pivots 50 and 56 as their screws 60 and 62 follow the arcuate slots 64 and 66 so as to move the rail 48 from the position shown in FIG. 1 to that shown in FIG. 4 to interrupt the mainline track 42 and move the curved non-conductor track 54 from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the position shown in FIG. 4. This provided a curved track connection between the straight rail 16 and the curved track 54.

The connecting switch plate 58 between the two nonconductor tracks 48 and 54 maintains these tracks always at the same distance apart so that the locomotive collector shoe 38 can always remain in continuous uninterrupted contact with the conductive roadbed 24. It will be noted that these non-conductor tracks 48 and 54 are shown partly in section at one end at 48' and 54' to graphically illustrate that they are of non-conductive material. It will also be noted that each non-conductor track end is suitably beveled to make a continuous and smooth conneotion to the metallic rails 16 at the appropriate position. Furthermore, each conductor rail 16 assembled on the roadbed 24 is, of course, made in sections so as to be readily assembled in diiferent track layouts and one end of each section of rails 16 is provided with a male connector 17 at one end and a female connector 19 at the other end. The ends of the section of the roadbed 24 are thus held in electrical contact.

The other intercepting rail crossing means is shown at 14 in FIGS. and 6 and in an assembled small scale view in FIG. 4. In this feature, the mainline at 8-2 and the crossover line at 84 are made up, in the same manner, of conductor rails 16 insulatedly supported by insulating sheets 28 on the raised tie portions 26 of the metallic conductor roadbed 24. The conductor roadbed 24 extends continuously through the crossover 14, but each rail 16 extends at a right angle to the adjacent track, the ends of the conductor rails 16 being spaced apart at 86 and 88.

Four identical blocks 90 of similar non-conductive or insulating material, Bakelite, are provided for the crossover 14, each block 90 when in position being spaced apart at 92 from each adjoining block 90' so that a locomotive collect-or shoe 38 may easily pass therebetween and remain in continuous contact with the raised tie portions 26 of the conductor bed 24.

Formed on each insulating block is a right angle track 94 which, when in position, aligns with each of the two ends 84 and 86 of the crosswise intersecting rails 16. In addition, each block 9% is provided with an interrupted track portion 98 and 100 aligned with and spaced from the legs of the right angle insulating track portion 94. The gap between the track portions is small enough so that the locomotive wheels 46) and the Wheels of the cars may easily jump thercover just as they do in full scale railroads, and, of course, both front and back wheels 40 or the locomotive 32 are electrically connected to the locomotive motor 34 so that at least either the front or back pair of wheels or at least one wheel of the locomotive 32 will always be on an electrical conductor metal rail 16.

Thus, .in operation, crossing over the track crossover, the wheels follow the track 16 onto the right angle track 94 and across the gap to the tracks 98 and 100, depending on which direction it is traveling, then across the gap 92 through which the collector shoe passes and so on along the crossover while the collector shoe'38 passes through the appropriate aligned spaces 92, providing a clear and uninterrupted path between the adjoining blocks.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed,

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A model two rail electric railroad comprising a pair of spaced apart conductor rails providing one conductor between a source of electricity and the longitudinally spaced apart conductive wheels of a model locomotive thereon, a conductive roadbed comprising a continuous sheet of conductive material shaped in the form of a plurality of spaced apart railroad ties, said conductive roadbed comprising the other conductor between the source of electricity and a conductive collector shoe depending trom the locomotive between its wheels and between said conductor rails, the conductor collector shoe being long enough to continuously contact at least a pair of railroad ties of said conductor roadbed, insulating means physically supporting said spaced apart conductor rails on said conductor roadbed, and insulating intersecting rail crossing means, having a gap therein for said collector shoe to pass therethrough, in said spaced apart conductor rails providing a continuous, uninterrupted path of contact for the locomotive conductive collector shoe on said conductor bed and thus providing a continuous, uninterrupted circuit to one side of the electric motor of the locomotive through said collector shoes, said conductor rails providing a continuous, uninterrupted circuit to the other side of the locomotive motor through at least one of said spaced apart locomotive conductive wheels on said conductor rails.

2. The railroad of claim 1, said intersecting rail crossing means comprising a turnout switch, said turnout switch including a pair of tracks of non-conductive material, one of said non-conductive tracks providing a mainline track connecting track across an entrance to a branchline track, the other of said non-conductive tracks providing a branchline track connecting track to the entrance to the branchline track, means mounting both said nonconductive tracks for unitary switching movement between the mainline track and branchline track connecting positions, both said non-conductive tracks being spaced apart providing an uninterrupted path therebetween for passage of the locomotive conductor collector shoe in continuous electrical contact with said conductor roadbed.

3. The railroad of claim 2, said mounting means for said non-conductive tracks comprising a separate pivot pivotally connecting each said non-conductive track to said conductive roadbed, a separate switch plate beneath said roadbed on each opposite side of said pivot, pivot means securing each said plate to both said non-conductive tracks, said pivot means extending through appropriately positioned arcuate slots in said road bed, and switch operating means secured adjacent one end of one said switch plate.

4. The rail-road of claim 3, said switch operating means comprising a lever extending through a .slot in said conductive road-bed and secured to said one switch plate.

5. The railroad of claim 1, and a jumper connecting both said conductor rails thereby providing a unitary conductor means.

6. The railroad of claim 1, said intersecting rail crossing means comprising a track crossover, said track crossover comprising a block of insulating material mounted on said conducting roadbed at each intersection of two intersecting rails, each insulating block having a right .angle track mounted in alignment with two conductive rails which would intersect if projected, and an interrupted track spaced from and aligned with each of said two conductive rails, each said block being spaced from the adjacent two blocks providing an uninterrupted path therebetween for the locomotive conductor collector shoe to pass thereb etween.

7. The railroad of claim 6, each said track on said crossover block being also of insulating material.

8. The railroad of claim 1, said intersecting rail crossing means including a turnout switch, said turnout switch including a pair of tracks of non-conductive material, one of said non-conductive tracks providing a mainline track connecting rail across an entrance to a bran-chl-ine track, the other of said non-conductive tracks providing a branchline track connecting rail to the entrance to the branchline track, means mounting both said non-conductive tracks for unitary switching movement between the mainline track and branchline track connecting positions, both said non-conductive tracks being spaced apart providing an uninterrupted path therebetween for passage of the locomotive conductive collector shoe in continuous uninterrupted electrical contact with said conductor roadbed, said intersecting rail crossing means also including a track crossover, said track crossover comprising a block of insulating material mounted on said conduct-or road-bed at each intersection of two intersecting rails, each insulating block having a rig-ht angle track mounted in alignment with two conductive rails which would intersect if projected, and an interrupted track spaced from and aligned with each of said two conductive rails, each said block being spaced from the adjacent two blocks providing an uninterrupted path therebetween for the locomotive conductive collector shoe to pass therebetween.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,555,028 9/25 Roth 104-60 1,596,539 8/26 Ives 246-415 1,671,971 6/28 Cooper 246-419 X 2,021,045 11/35 Boisselier 23-8-10 X 2,109,403 -2/38 Roussy et a1. 104-60 2,115,108 4/38 Horn 238-10 X 2,161,424 6/39 McKeige et al. 246-220 2,687,304 8/54 Northrop et a1. 191-22 X 2,707,606 5/55 Smith 246-465 X 2,815,185 12/57 Hirtenstein 246-419 2,836,129 5/58 J-aeger 104-120 EUGENE G. BOTZ, Primary Examiner.

LEO QUACK'ENBUS'H, ARTHUR L. LA POINT,

Examiners. 

1. A MODEL TWO RAIL ELECTRIC RAILROARD COMPRISING A PAIR OF SPACED APART CONDUCTOR RAILS PROVIDING ONE CONDUCTOR BETWEEN A SOURCE OF ELECTRICALLY AND THE LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APART CONDUCTIVE WHEELS OF A MODEL LOCOMOTIVE THEREON, A CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL SHAPED IN THE FORM OF A SHEET OF CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL SHAPED IN THE FORM OF A PLURALITY OF SPACED APART RAILROAD TIES, SAID CONDUCTIVE ROADBED COMPRISING THE OTHER CONDUCTOR BETWEEN THE SOURCE OF ELECTRICALLY AND A CONDUCTIVE COLLECTOR SHOE DEPENDING FROM THE LOCOMOTIVE BETWEEN ITS WHEELS AND BETWEEN SAID CONDUCTOR RAILS, THE CONDUCTOR COLLECTOR SHOE BEING LONG ENOUGH TO CONTINUOUSLY CONTACT AT LEAST A PAIR OF RAILROAD TIES OF SAID CONDUCTOR CONTACT AT LEAT A PAIR MEANS PHYSICALLY SUPPORTING SAID SPACED APART CONDUCTOR RAILS ON SAID CONDUCTOR ROADBED, AND INSULATING INTERSECTING RAIL CROSSING MEANS, HAVING A GAP THEREIN FOR SAID COLLECTOR SHOE TO PASS THERETHROUGH, IN SAID SPACED APART CONDUCTOR RAILS PROVIDING A CONTINUOUS, UNITERRUPTED PATH OF CONTACT FOR THE LOCOMOTIVE CONDUCTIVE COLLECTOR SHOE ON SAID CONDUCTOR BED AND THUS PROVIDING A CONTINUOUS, UNINTERRUPTED CIRCUIT TO ONE SIDE OF THE ELECTRIC MOTOR OF THE LOCOMOTIVE THROUGH SAID COLLECTOR SHOES, SAID CONDUCTOR RAILS PROVIDING A CONTINUOUS, UNINTERRUPTED CIRCUIT TO BE OTHER SIDE OF THE LOCOMOTIVE MOTOR THROUGH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SPACED APART LOCOMOTIVE CONDUCTIVE WHEELS ON SAID CONDUCTOR RAILS. 